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Posted on Wed, Feb 23, 2011 : 11:35 a.m.

BYU guard Jimmer Fredette takes commanding lead in 4th AnnArbor.com College Basketball Player of Year poll

By Michael Rothstein

Jimmer Fredette is in control.

Two weeks after passing Connecticut guard Kemba Walker for the lead in the AnnArbor.com College Basketball Player of the Year poll, the BYU senior guard has separated himself from the rest of the contenders for various national Player of the Year awards.

Despite nine fewer voters than the third poll, Fredette increased his number of first-place votes from 37 to 40. And the man with a catchphrase “You’ve got Jimmer’d,” a music video dedicated to him and an inordinate amount of love around the country is backing it up.

Fredette leads the country in scoring at 27.2 points a game and has taken BYU into the Top 10 with a 25-2 record and a No. 7 ranking in the latest Associated Press media poll.

The Cougars received two first-place votes in the AP poll.

Fredette, who is from Glens Falls, N.Y., has a chance to cement his standing as the nation’s top player on Saturday, when BYU plays a nationally televised game against No. 6 San Diego State at 2 p.m. on CBS.

Walker dropped to fourth in the latest poll and didn't receive a single first-place vote.

MORE ANALYSIS:

The nine players named in the poll is the lowest of the season. Marshon Brooks, Austin Freeman, Mickey McConnell and Jordan Hamilton all made appearances last poll and were not selected in this poll. E’Twaun Moore, who had appeared in the first poll of the year, showed up again.

The 50 voters in this poll were the lowest this season.

The Big Ten was the only conference with multiple players selected to the poll — 4. The Mountain West, ACC, Pac 10 and Ohio Valley each had one player named.

Nolan Smith was the poll’s biggest upward mover. After receiving 10 points and one first-place vote in the third POY poll, Smith jumped to 52 points and five first-place votes in this poll.

Kemba Walker had the biggest drop. The leader of the Player of the Year poll for the first two surveys of the season, Walker dropped to third in the third poll and now fourth in the fourth poll. He didn’t receive a single first-place vote and dropped from 67 points in the third poll to 29 points in the fourth poll.

Fredette’s lead is widening. Despite fewer voters, the BYU senior received more first-place votes in this poll, 40, than in the last poll (37). His 35-point margin over Sullinger in the third poll jumped to 69 points in the fourth poll — again with fewer voters.

Comments

David

Fri, Feb 25, 2011 : 2:31 a.m.

Nice to see people wising up about the awesomeness that is 'The Jimmer.'
<a href="http://www.teamjimmer.com" rel='nofollow'>http://www.teamjimmer.com</a>
<a href="http://www.planetbyu.com" rel='nofollow'>http://www.planetbyu.com</a>